I Don't Know
by daseyshipper
Summary: What did they write on their cards? I don't know. One-shot. AU from valet scene. Spoilers 2x21.


"You know what, this wasn't such a good idea…"

_Is he kidding!? I've been trying to figure this woman out all night, he's got the answer in his hand, and he's just going to drive away!? Dammit, Russell, I thought we MEANT something to each other!_

Nick had had a lot of bad moments in his life. The urge to moonwalk away from this one was almost too difficult to resist, but he knew that if he did that… well, first of all, he'd probably end up jay-moonwalking. But he'd also be moonwalking away from someone he cared about.

His father's death had affected him, even though he hadn't wanted it to. That's not to say Nick was a new man or anything – it takes a decent amount of work to be a new man, don't know if you've tried it lately – but he was trying his best to hold on tight to the people still around him.

Figuratively holding. Schmidt enjoyed the holding too much.

Jess was looking at him expectantly, having asked him what he'd written, and he begged his flight instinct to succumb to his fight instinct. "What did YOU write?" he spat back to her question, maybe a little too harshly. Fight instinct isn't supposed to be a literal term.

"I don't know!"

"How could you not know, we just did it, was it a hieroglyph?!"

Jess was yelling over him, "No, that's what I wrote, Nick! I wrote 'I don't know!'"

"You don't know?"

"I don't know, alright!"

"WELL, I DON'T KNOW EITHER!"

Jess squinted and cocked her head. "Wait, so you… don't _know_ or you don't…"

"I wrote 'I don't know' too. Or also! I also wrote 'I don't know'! As well!" Nick stumbled, frustrated.

Jess started giggling, and he couldn't help joining her. But manly, a manly giggle. "Ahhhh," Nick groaned, stretching his arms and steepling his hands behind his head. He released a breath before throwing his hands back in the air and all he could think to say was, "What the hell are we doing?"

Jess opened her eyes wide and put on her smoky film voice with a little bounce. "I believe that was the question, Mister Miller."

He couldn't help but smile back. He did love that smoky film voice. They walked over to Winston's truck, careful to stay on the sidewalk. Nick opened the back so they could sit on the edge of the trunk.

There was a sigh and then a bit of silence. "Well… we did write the same thing," Nick pointed out.

"Shows what the Fancyman knows," Jess said matter-of-factly. "Fancyman with his fancy… manning…"

Yes. The Fancyman! What would Russell do!? Nick decided to put aside the irony and potential badness of trying to emulate Jess' ex-boyfriend as he ruminated on this. He hopped off the edge of the trunk and stood in front of Jess.

"Jessica Day!" he started confidently, reaching his hands out to take hers.

He stood in front of her. Stood in front of this woman that he couldn't get out of his head. Stood in front of her more vulnerable than he'd ever been, even that time she saw him naked. This was worse than being naked. This was… getting scary.

"I want tooouuhhh…"

Jess raised an eyebrow. Cute, but her dubiousness wasn't helping his confidence.

"Iiii…"

Jess toyed with him, "Yooou? Yoooouuuu don't have to be beauuuutiful to turn me on," she started singing in a falsetto. Nick's eyes went wide. He realized Jess was poking him.

"I just…need your body, baby," Nick sang hesitantly. "From dusk til dawn…"

They looked at each other and laughed a bit when they realized they didn't know the next bit. "You don't have to be rich to be my girl," Jess belted, making the truck bounce as she danced on the edge of the seat.

Nick joined in. "You don't have to be coooool to rule my world, AND NO PARTICULAR SAAAAA!" they screeched together, a jumble of unknown lyrics. "I JUST WANT YOUR EXTRA TIME AND YOUR…"

"Ba-da-da-da-da-da," Jess jumped up and sang, as they both lamely jiggled.

"Kiss!" Nick pulled Jess to him as he finished, laughing. They both grew serious as they realized they were in the same position that had started it all. But this time, Jess leaned up and pressed her mouth firmly against his. Nick kissed her back with intensity, savoring the taste of her, holding her as close as possible, as though her courage and passion and utter awe could flow through him and make him a better man.

They pulled away eventually, leaning their foreheads together as Nick cupped Jess' face. "Jess, we can't keep doing this. We still don't know what this is!"

Jess leaned away from him, with a curious expression suddenly on her face. "You know what… maybe we don't need to know."

"But you asked – "

"Forget what I asked. I know that you care. I know that you're there for me. _That's_ what matters. I don't care what words we use, Nick, or whether we use words at all, I just want to be here with you." Nick felt his body buzz. Nobody had ever told him that happiness buzzed. It was weird.

Jess played shyly with the lapels of his suit as she continued, "I just don't need a bunch of people telling me what we can and can't do together."

"Doesn't that just piss you off?" He sneered playfully.

"That _pisses me off_!" She tugged his suit for emphasis.

He smiled, and let out a breath. He took her hands in his again. "Jessica Day," he said softly, without anxiety, "will you be my whatever the hell we want?"

"I'd be happy to, Nicholas Miller."

Nick leaned down and for the first time, he kissed Jess without feeling like it was the last time he'd ever get to touch her, like it was a fluke. This time he wasn't consumed with desperation. Instead, it was soft, and slow, because now… he did know something. He knew they had time. He knew this was real.

He pulled away and looked at her. "Could you be!" he screeched suddenly.

"Could you be," Jess intoned.

"The most beaaautiful girl in the world!"

"Plain to see! You're the reason that God made a girl!" Still holding Jess's hands, he let her go, twirling her away, knowing she'd twirl back to him…

*beep beep* "Excuse me, ma'am…"

"OH COME ON!"


End file.
